Note: You will see the new WebTechGeek web page format with -
older WTG web page format. I hope you like the new!
Windows
Vista News!
The Latest Windows LongHorn/Vista
News & Tips!
Note Windows LongHorn is now called -
Windows Vista!
Windows
Vista News of the Week!
Microsoft wants Vista out the door by year's end
Microsoft has tweaked its testing schedule for Windows Vista as it tries to get the operating system update out by the end of 2007.
Rather than have a formal test version labelled "Beta 2", the company is now aiming for a series of test releases this year. Each will be targeted at getting feedback from a specific audience, according to Windows chief Jim Allchin.
An update to the current Community Technology Preview (CTP) program, set for release sometime this quarter, will serve as the version that Microsoft wants corporations to test. The software maker said in December it was targeting February for the next CTP release.
Next quarter, the company will release a "customer preview program" (CPP) that will give early-adopter consumers a chance to get their hands on Vista, though Microsoft has not said how broad that program will be.
Both forthcoming CTP and CPP releases will use "Beta 2" in describing the code, as did a December CTP. More here!
Gates Highlights Windows Vista Program
Rival Google Inc. may be nipping at its heels, but Microsoft Corp. wasn't flashing any defeatist signs Wednesday as it showcased its latest plans to help make living in the digital world safer, easier and more fun.
In his 10th keynote to kick off the International Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates highlighted the Windows Vista program, a major operating system upgrade set for release later this year. He also discussed how Microsoft's Xbox game console and media-oriented software for PCs and electronics gadgets are aiming to help consumers connect more easily with each other, get more entertainment, and deliver more high-definition video. Full story here!
Microsoft offering frequent previews of new Windows
Microsoft offering frequent previews of new Windows: Microsoft Corp. is releasing preview versions of its new Windows Vista operating system about once a month in an effort to get more customer feedback than usual ahead of next year's launch, the company said.
The world's largest software maker also reiterated its plan to launch Vista in the second half of 2007, five years after the release of its current version, Windows XP.
It is the longest gap ever between major launches of Microsoft's core Windows product, the company's cash cow which accounts for more than a quarter of its $40 billion in annual revenue.
Microsoft gave some customers preview versions of Vista in September and October and expects to offer another version with more improvements in December.
Early next year, testers will try out a version that integrates all the features expected to be in the final version of Vista.
In past Windows launches, Microsoft has reserved its previews for two major "beta" tests. Microsoft officials said the constant previews allow the software giant to gather customer feedback faster, speeding up improvements.
"Our customers will have a feature-complete Windows Vista sooner in their hands than any previous Windows release," said Amitabh Srivastava, a corporate vice president in Microsoft's Windows unit, in a conference call.
Once the basic features are integrated, Microsoft will focus on improving reliability of Vista until the launch date.
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said it still plans two stages of "beta" previews and tried out its initial beta in July. Company officials declined to put a target date for the second major test.
Source: Reuters
- Microsoft's Vista Windows System to Be Compatible With HD DVD: Tech News!
Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware into Vista
Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware into Vista: Microsoft has confirmed plans to bundle anti-spyware protection into Windows Vista, a move that is sure to raise eyebrows among competitors and possibly antitrust regulators.
The Windows AntiSpyware product, which currently ships to consumers as a free standalone application, will be integrated into Vista, as is indicated in the newest beta build of Vista distributed to technical beta testers.
"The core Windows AntiSpyware functionality gets built in," said Greg Sullivan, lead Windows product manager. "For unmanaged environments—home and small business users—we want to provide base-level security services."
The actual anti-spyware code was not included in the second CTP (Community Technology Preview) release of Vista (Build 5213), but visual evidence was found in the "Security Center," a built-in feature that lets users manage settings for security patching, Internet options and the embedded firewall.
Microsoft is careful to note that many of the features included in the latest Vista preview are still being developed and "do not yet represent their final functionality or design."
"Some of the features in the October CTP that will undergo significant changes before the final version of Windows Vista ships," the company said, noting that the anti-spyware functionality "will continue to evolve throughout the development process."
The decision is seen as a bold gamble by the software giant, coming at a time when its emergence as a security vendor has already raised questions about software bundling and unfair competition.
Rival Symantec Corp. has nudged antitrust regulators at the European Union with an informal complaint about Microsoft's security ambitions, and it's not a stretch to imagine that competitors in the lucrative anti-spyware business will also raise a fuss.
Source: eWEEK
Microsoft plans overhaul after Vista delays
US software titan Microsoft plans to overhaul its product release plans after delays to the launch of its next operating system, chief executive Steve Ballmer told the Financial Times.
"We attempted something that was beyond the planning and conceptualisation of the system," Ballmer was quoted as saying Thursday of "Windows Vista", which is now planned to be released late next year.
"The product cycle has been longer than it should have been," he told the business newspaper.
After problems developing the software, Microsoft is set to miss its original target date for the successor to the Windows XP operating system by about a year.
The company hopes to launch Vista simultaneously with a new version of the Office suite of applications, in what the FT called the company's most significant new product cycle since Windows 95.
Bruised by the Vista delays, Microsoft plans to release more frequent, less ambitious versions of the widely used software in a major shift to its business strategy, the newspaper said.
"In the last year and a half we've done a lot of revamping of the engineering and the processes," Ballmer said. (AP)
- Microsoft: Office 12 to Anticipate Needs: Tech News!
The preview of Windows Vista showed it employing animated, thumbnail photo album-style displays to give users a quick look at the content of every application running on their system.
Hovering the mouse pointer over an index of data folders automatically brought up a snapshot of its contents, not merely a description. A quick search feature is also wired into nearly every Vista application.
New Windows file system enters testing
Microsoft posted the first test version of a new Windows file system well ahead of its expected debut.
The company made the test version of the file system, called WinFS, available to subscribers to its Microsoft Developer Network service. The test release was unexpected. Microsoft has repeatedly said that the WinFS code wouldn't debut until sometime next year.
The software was originally intended as a key feature of Vista (developed under the code name Longhorn), the next release of the operating system expected next year.
However, roughly a year ago, Microsoft announced that it was removing WinFS from Vista and would release it separately to meet its delivery schedule for Longhorn.
Microsoft says WinFS will make it easier to find information stored on both local PCs and across networks.
Source: CNET News.com
Microsoft names new software 'Windows Vista': Microsoft Corp. said on Friday it named the next version of its operating system "Windows Vista" as it prepares to release a trial version of the flagship software that already runs on nine out of 10 personal computers worldwide.
Comment: Other suggested names, "Bill Gates money tree" and "another billion in the bank".
Windows Vista, formerly known by its code-name Longhorn, is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2007, five years after Windows XP, the longest time lag between releases of its Windows operating system.
Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, has promised numerous enhancements, including better security, graphics and computing over the Web.
Brad Goldberg, general manager of Windows product development at Microsoft, said the new name was aimed at "communicating the idea of clarity."
"That lets users focus on the things they need to focus on," Goldberg said.
More details on Vista will be released at a developer's conference in September, Goldberg said.
A beta, or test version, will be released by Aug. 3, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said in a statement. (AP)
LongHorn Screenshot: The site Flexbeta have posted a slew of screenshots from the 5048 build of Windows Longhorn. Warring these screenshots may put you to sleep! ZZZZZ!
Gates Grabs 64-Bit By The Longhorn: This week Microsoft began the push of its new operating system due out next year. The new version of Windows, called Longhorn is loaded with innovation, the most spectacular being the integration of 64 bit technology.
AMD introduced 64 bit technology about a year and half ago and it increases the amount of information your computer can process by handling bigger packages of information. This will greatly increase the efficiency and speed of your computer.
The other point of going to 64 bit will be able support a bigger address range. It will increase the addressable memory from 4Gb to 16 Tb.
The other big issue on Longhorn is security. Gates emphasized that security is the most important aspect of the OS and has the highest level of investment in time and resources.
"If you had to take one area where we put the most investment in, the security area would be the head of that list by a significant amount," Gates told the thousands of engineers attending the conference.
With viruses and bugs at an all time high and becoming more destructive and recent surges of hackers breaking into corporations, computer security has become paramount. (webpronews.com)
Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows: In a move that could rankle privacy advocates, Microsoft said Monday that it is adding the PC equivalent of a flight data recorder to the next version of Windows, in an effort to better understand and prevent computer crashes.
The tool will build on the existing Watson error-reporting tool in Windows but will provide Microsoft with much deeper information, including what programs were running at the time of the error and even the contents of documents that were being created. Businesses will also choose whether they want their own technology managers to receive such data when an employee's machine crashes.
"Think of it as a flight data recorder, so that any time there's a problem, that 'black box' is there helping us work together and diagnose what's going on," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said during a speech at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference here.
For consumers, the choice of whether to send the data, and how much information to share, will be up to the individual. Though the details are being finalized, Windows lead product manager Greg Sullivan said users will be prompted with a message indicating the information to be sent and giving them an option to alter it, such as removing the contents of the e-mail they were writing when the machine crashed. Also, such reporting will also be anonymous.
"Our stance on this is that the user is in control," Sullivan said. "In the consumer environment, you will be presented with a dialog that clearly gives you the choice whether to share the information and then also provides exactly what the detail is so you can parse character by character what's being sent."
With businesses, however, IT managers typically set the policy. If they wanted total information, they could configure systems so that they'd know not only that a user was running Internet Explorer, for example, but also that he or she was watching a video from ESPN.com. Or, they might find out not only that a worker was running Instant Messenger but also that he or she was talking to a co-worker about getting a new job.
And consumers could have a tough time knowing just what information they were sending. Though they'll be able to see the contents of a document, they may not recognize the significance of the technical data--such as register settings--that's being sent.
Industry analyst Richard Doherty said he doubted Microsoft got enough feedback on how users might feel about such a feature. Even airplane pilots, Doherty said, have been able to keep from having their routine in-flight dialogue preserved. Microsoft's version of the black box, Doherty said "is begging for more real-world testing."
But Sullivan pointed out that businesses can already install third-party software to monitor workers' computer usage and some do.
He also said that in the present incarnation of Windows, companies have fairly fine control over what crash data they receive and what information gets sent on to Microsoft. With the new black box feature, he said, companies will simply have "more detailed management ability of the reporting infrastructure." (News ZDNET)
Gates Christens 64-bit Windows, Charts Course For Longhorn
Microsoft steered into its third decade of computing, launching 64-bit Windows XP operating systems and providing a glimpse at the next major revision of Windows, code-named Longhorn.
The setting was the opening of the 14th annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, an industry gathering for component and system manufacturers, core logic, consumer electronics and application vendors. In outlining Microsoft's server and client operating system roadmap, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates not only gave direction to the hardware OEMs but also positioned the vendor against future competitive battles with the likes of Google, Linux and Adobe.
In his keynote address, Gates noted that Windows is about 20 years old, and that DOS and 16-bit computing dominated the first decade, followed by Windows 95 with 32-bit computing. The introduction of 64-bit and multi-core computing will create new inflection points and is the start of the third decade, he said.
"This is the decade where we can have the most impact of all," Gates said. "The pervasiveness of digital approaches. The kind of capabilities that we've finally achieved are things that have been talked about for many decades. It's really common sense now for business to be done in a digital way. Entertainment. Scheduling. Purchasing. The foundation work for the 64-bit addressing and the software runtime that allows you to connect not only a browser to any website but you can connect any piece of software to another piece of software to a website across the Internet. Like those new web services standards that are coming into the platform allowing these news applications. So this is the decade of greatest importance. This is the one of greatest competition, and greatest opportunity. That's why you see us putting in greatest levels of R&D into Windows."
Moving to 64-bit will have many benefits, and it will happen more rapidly than any previous transition, Gates said, noting that 32-bit applications will continue to run on 64-bit Windows machines. There will "dramatic improvement" in Windows Terminal Services with 64-bit, he said. The added memory will make a big difference in Active Directory, in technical computing and gaming, and database applications, he said. Nonetheless, "We will go through a period where Microsoft and others will release both 32- and 64- bit versions of their applications." (AP)
Microsoft Says Longhorn to Be HD DVD Compatible:
The Japanese unit of Microsoft Corp. said the
company's next-generation operating system, Longhorn,
would be compatible with HD DVD, an advanced form of DVD
technology.
The show of support from Microsoft is considered a boost
for the next-generation, blue-laser DVD technology, which
is promoted by Japanese conglomerates NEC Corp. and Toshiba
Corp.
Blue light, with a shorter wavelength than the red laser
used in conventional DVD recorders, can read and store
data at the higher densities needed for high-definition
recordings.
An executive at Microsoft's Japanese unit said at a briefing
on HD DVD technology that it was not yet decided whether
Longhorn, the next version of Windows, would support the
rival Blu-ray technology from a consortium of companies,
including Sony Corp. and Philips Electronics.
The HD DVD camp is far behind the Blu-ray group when
it comes to actual product offerings.
Sony last year launched the world's first DVD recorder
using blue laser light, while Matsushita Electric Industrial
Co. Ltd., the maker of Panasonic products, plans to start
offering a DVD recorder based on Blu-ray technology this
week.
DVD recorders based on the HD DVD format have yet to
hit store shelves, but Toshiba Corporate Senior Vice President
Yoshihide Fujii said the company planned to launch them
sometime in calendar 2005. He would not comment on expected
retail prices.
At the briefing, Pony Canyon Inc, a music, video and
game software unit of radio station Nippon Broadcasting
System Inc., said it planned to launch a series of movies
in the HD DVD format next year, becoming the first content
creator to commit itself to offering HD DVD-based content.
Justice Monitors New Microsoft Software:
7/20/04 The Justice Department has begun looking closely
at the next generation of Microsoft's Windows operating
system to ensure that it meets the terms of an antitrust
settlement reached with the company more than two years
ago.
Renata Hesse, the Justice Department lawyer in charge
of monitoring Microsoft's compliance with the agreement,
told a federal judge yesterday that the government wants
to look at the software, code-named Longhorn, early enough
in its development so that it is not presented as a "fait
accompli" that would be difficult to change.
Microsoft, which has delayed Longhorn's rollout, has
not said when it will be released as the successor to
Windows XP the current version of the personal-computer
operating system. Several industry analysts have predicted
introduction of Longhorn in 2007 or possibly 2007, which
is when the antitrust settlement is scheduled to expire.
The new operating system probably will showcase an aggressive
push by Microsoft on several fronts, including technology
for Internet searching, managing multiple home-entertainment
devices, and virus scanning and other security measures.
The company also has been expanding its efforts to become
an industry standard-setter in how digital entertainment
is protected from illegal copying.
Some of these moves will pit the company against competitors
with similar products -- such as major search-engine firm
Google, for example -- and will again shine a spotlight
on Microsoft's well-honed strategy of bundling more and
more programs into its operating system. With Windows
powering roughly 95 percent of the world's personal computers,
it has an automatic distribution system for its programs
that others cannot match.
It was the bundling strategy that led to Microsoft's
antitrust troubles. Bundling its Internet Explorer Web
browser into Windows all but squashed competition from
Netscape Communications Inc.'s Navigator browser, which
was the market leader but often had to be downloaded separately.
Microsoft Aims to Bridge
Windows 5-Yr Release Gap: Microsoft Corp. will
make a renewed effort to promote and update Windows XP
before the arrival of the next major update to its flagship
operating system, code-named Longhorn, it said.
Called "Windows XP Reloaded" inside the headquarters
of the world's largest software maker, the effort would
bridge the gap between Windows XP, which launched in 2001,
and Longhorn's expected debut in 2007.
"There a bunch of work being done on Windows XP,"
said Greg Sullivan, lead Windows product manager, adding
that Windows XP Reloaded was a marketing effort as well
as a plan to enhance Windows XP software.
"We're looking at how to deliver that, but calling
it an interim release is overstating it," Sullivan
said.
Several technology publications reported on Thursday
that Windows Reloaded would be an interim release of Windows
XP.
Microsoft had repeatedly brushed off speculation that
it would issue an update to Windows XP, but the operating
system that dominates the personal computer market with
a 90-plus percent share is facing increasing competition
from Linux the freely available operating system that
can be copied and modified freely, unlike Windows.
Microsoft is planning to release a minor update to Windows
XP, called a service pack with enhancements to fix software
bugs, later this year.
Service pack 2, scheduled for release around the middle
of the year, is aimed at enhancing the security of the
operating system, a major priority for the company under
its two year-old Trustworthy computing initiative to make
its software more secure and reliable.
RELOADED ROLL OUT - Windows XP Reloaded is scheduled
to roll out toward the end of 2004, Sullivan said.
Analysts have said that the long gap between Windows
XP and Longhorn would make it more difficult for Microsoft
to defend itself against Linux, and Microsoft is also
faced with the challenge of getting more users of previous
versions of Windows to upgrade to Windows XP.
Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox said that Windows
Reloaded was "more evangelism program than anything
else."
"They recognize it's a long time between Windows
XP and Longhorn and you can't just go five years without
doing a marketing promotion," Wilcox said.
"That doesn't mean there won't be an interim release
.... Windows Reloaded could be a marketing effort, or
they could bundle up a bunch of add-ons and release those
either for free or charge for them."
Microsoft's Sullivan did not disclose whether customers
would have to pay for any software shipped as part of
Windows XP Reloaded, or how it would be delivered for
customers.
Service packs are provided by Microsoft for free, or
bundled into the latest shipments of software. (AP)
Windows XP ... Reloaded release! -
Despite Microsoft's repeated denials, the company will
indeed release an interim version of Windows XP that will
bridge the gap between the initial XP release and Windows
Longhorn, which is currently due in late 2005 at the earliest.
The interim XP version will ship as a new retail product
that replaces existing retail boxed copies of XP and as
a set of updates, called XP Reloaded, that existing XP
users can install separately.
According to sources I contacted this morning, XP Reloaded
will include all the features from XP Service Pack 2 (SP2),
which is due by midyear, as well as a host of other unique
features, including Windows Media Player (WMP) 10. Source:
Windows Mag, full
story here!
Microsoft announces NGSCB
be built in the next generation of CPU's: (Source:
The Register) Bill Gates has announced that Microsoft's
Next Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) will be
built into the next generation of CPU's. The unusual name
NGSCB has been chosen to replace the controversial name
Palladium. Microsoft is talking to chip and PC/motherboard
companies about this and the introduction of the Hardware
ID. They would like to have NGSCB compliant CPUs well
ahead of the release of Longhorn.
Microsoft talk about NGSCB as a security enhancement
such as to prevent the current problems of viruses, Trojans,
hackers, exploits, leaked documents, password and data
stealing and even reducing anonymous spam E-mail. While
existing Windows applications will be able to run on a
NGSCB based Windows OS, they will not be able to directly
communicate with NGSCB compliant applications and hardware
without a trust relationship. Windows XP Service pack
2 will also see many security improvements including better
firewall which is set to 'on' by default as well as improved
browser and E-mail software.
While Microsoft claim NGSCB is not DRM, DRM products
can be based on NGSCB to improve DRM protected content
against piracy in the next generation of audio and video
products as well as optical discs. The major drawback
of NGSCB is that much control is being taken away from
the end user and given to Bill and the content and software
providers.
Microsoft's Next Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB,
aka Palladium) will be built into the next generation
of CPUs, Bill Gates claimed yesterday, effectively making
security via hardware ID an integral part of the Windows
PC platform. And Microsoft is talking to the chip and
PC companies about the introduction of hardware ID, so
we will likely be seeing some decidedly NGSCB-like features
well ahead of Longhorn.
Bill has a talent for what Lady Mary Archer has described
as "imaginative precis", so we can never take
his presentation material as absolute gospel. It is however
extremely valuable in determining where it is that Microsoft
wants us to go tomorrow, and how Microsoft proposes to
get us to go there. This time around, the security imperative
figures high in the company's drive to wrest what remains
of your control of your computer from you. Over to Bill,
and we'll unpick as we go:
"Another enhancement that hasn't been talked about
very broadly is the fact that the next generation of processors
will build in a new security capability called, kind of
obscurely [remind us who it was who renamed Palladium,
Bill], Next Generation Secure Computing Base, or NGSCB
is the acronym for that. What that does is it allows you
to still run arbitrary third-party software to be able
to make security guarantees, that the decryption keys
and some software is running in such a way that third-party
software is isolated from it."
As is so often the case with Bill, you just about know
what he means, as opposed to what he said. What he means
here is that NGSCB machines will still run standard software,
ringfenced off from the secure components, but its point
is that it uses the secure components and software to
establish trust relationships. Check here for a longer
explanation of what NGSCB is, and how it will operate.
Note also that although it is not DRM, it is a very useful
base for DRM systems, while the S-word is a very useful
cover for such systems.
If the particular next generation of processors Bill
is talking about makes it to market before Longhorn, then
it's perfectly feasible that at least some of NGSCB can
be catered for before Longhorn. Microsoft has never specifically
said that NGSCB is a Longhorn product, just that it's
a long-range product. The hardware ID component of NGSCB
was initially intended to use a TCPA-compliant chip on
the motherboard, and this can still happen to enable more
immediate secure systems, while getting it onto the CPU
itself will allow Microsoft to make NGSCB into a standard.
Call it DRM, people will run, call it security, then maybe
not.
We shouldn't read too much into that, because Bill isn't
being specific either about what these new hardware features
are, or how Microsoft is going to use them. It does however
signal that security-driven changes in hardware are being
introduced now, as part of an ongoing ramp, rather than
being something that won't happen until 2005-6. Speaking
about NGSCB in his own presentation, which followed Gates',
Jim Allchin said "we're working with the hardware
vendors to be able to create a system so that we can boot
and ensure that we're booting securely and that we can
create shadowed memory where code can execute but you
can't debug it." Note that he says hardware vendors,
not CPU vendors, so we have Microsoft, the chip companies
and the PC companies all talking about the introduction
of hardware security.
Gates himself had a couple more nuggets. In his speeches
lately he's taken to complaining that one of today's big
problems is anonymous email, so we don't know who's really
sending it. Yesterday was no exception:
"We have a number of things that are weak links
in the security picture. Passwords over time will not
be adequate to deal with critical information. The fact
that e-mail, you don't really know if it came from the
person it appears to come from, and even the fact that
Internet packets can be spoofed, so at many levels of
the standards that we have we need to add security capabilities."
From Microsoft's perspective the solution here is clearly
hardware ID, supported by Microsoft software. This clearly
has implications for the rest of us, and it would possibly
be useful to consider the implications of the elimination
of anonymity, which seems to be what is being proposed,
now, and for Microsoft to start sharing with us its security-driven
plans for amendments to Internet standards. But don't
hold your breath.
Microsoft's intentions to switch on the XP firewall by
default, and to upgrade it to deal with outgoing as well
as inbound traffic, are fairly well known. But it also
has rather more wide-ranging plans; what about this, for
example:
"And when I say firewall, I mean that in a very
broad sense. I mean scanning files that come through e-mail
or FTP, I mean being able to look at a machine that's
been connected up to the Internet and, when that machine
VPNs in, being able easily to scan it to make sure it
doesn't have a problem and that software is up to date,
or perhaps taking that same machine and carrying it in
to the corporation and connecting it up, then it's behind
the firewall again that needs to be scanned."
Bill clearly means firewall in a very broad sense indeed
- compulsory but easy to conduct full body searches on
machines connecting to the network are obviously going
to be attractive to the corporate market, but if the technology
can do it there (probably with the aid of hardware ID,
again), then it surely won't stop there. You could envisage
submitting to the body search and taking your nice patches
as being the entry tab for all sorts of connections, and
you could see Windows as becoming pretty much compulsory
for such scenarios, considering it's such a tricky call
for what rivals there are.
These will be faced with the question of whether to agree
with, and follow, Microsoft or to stay out and risk having
the security can tied to their tails. Or to join forces
and invent a rival "open" hardware-linked rights-denial
system. Ah, you say, but haven't previous attempts in
this kind of area been stymied by indignant consumers?
Has not Intel already had to climb down over unique IDs?
Hasn't Microsoft? Well, yes indeed, but that was then
and this is now.
This looks to be one of the main reasons why Longhorn
will not be launched for next few years. At the moment,
PCs have gone so fast that Microsoft will also need to
provide good reasons on why users should replace their
existing PC's they are happy with to NGSCB enabled system's.
While they may eliminate or even just reduce the current
problems with viruses, hackers, exploits and so on, they
will also be giving more control over the consumer’s
PCs to themselves as well as software and content providers.
This would be great news to the software, movie and music
industries, but could rule out fair use such as the ability
to backup future products.
Microsoft To Unwrap Longhorn
Code: For anyone who develops software for Windows
PCs--and that includes nearly everyone who manages business
applications--next week will be an important one. Microsoft
will take the wraps off the first publicly available code
for its next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn.
It's due in 2007, if all goes according to plan.
Billed as the biggest release of Microsoft's flagship
product since Windows 95 nearly a decade ago, Longhorn
will include technology for building a new generation
of "smart client" software that combines the
look and feel of PC apps like Word or Excel with immediate
access to information off the Web.
"Instead of this disconnected state between your
applications, you're counting on connectivity," says
Don Cosseboom, director of R&D at Molecular Inc.,
a developer of business software. Though Longhorn apps
won't debut for at least another three years, Microsoft
at its Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles
next week will disclose the first technical information
developers need to know about writing to a new set of
technologies that could radically change how Windows PCs
find, organize, present, and share information across
networks. source:
InformationWeek
Longhorn
Will support All DVD-W Formats
Longhorn Will support All DVD-W
Formats: 5/12/03 Microsoft plans to support all
major writable DVD formats in future versions of its Windows
operating system, the software maker has said. Native
support for DVD-RAM, DVD-RW/-R and DVD+RW/+R will start
with Windows Longhorn, the successor to Windows XP slated
for launch in 2005, according to a Microsoft spokesperson.
The technology, called Mount Rainier, is
intended to provide a simple, consistent way to transfer
files through Windows Explorer, or to save a file to a
disc with assurance that other new drives can read the
disc. Once an operating system supports Mount Rainier
(also called EasyWrite), users won't need a packet-writing
program, but will be able to simply drag and drop files
to disc. (Source PCWorld.com)
Microsoft
expects that NGSCB will be part of Longhorn
Longhorn: 5/8/03 the successor
to Windows XP, currently known as Longhorn and on display
this week at the 12th annual Windows Hardware Engineering
Conference, is intended to run on compatible hardware.
Microsoft claims to have redesigned Longhorn's interface
in accordance with a long list of studies on how people
like to work, play and interact with their computers.
In theory, the operating system Longhorn
and hardware will, work together to secure a computer
and all its contents from any external tampering or maybe,
even the owner of the computer. Deep inside Longhorn lurks
the next part of Microsoft's new Next Generation Secure
Computing Base system, which is intended to provide a
tamper-resistant, private container for data users would
rather not share with the outside world.
Microsoft expects that NGSCB will be part of Longhorn,
according to the product unit manager at Microsoft's security
business unit, Peter Biddle.
NGSCB is essentially an encryption and permission management
system. It can encrypt keyboard strokes or data being
sent from a computer, as well as incoming streaming video
or audio. Applications created with NGSCB-compliant code
are intended to be tamper-proof. If the code is changed,
the system alerts other applications and stops them from
working with the altered code, which could be problematic
for people who opt to run unapproved code on their PCs.
NGSCB also allows the owner or creator of a document,
file or application to determine what can be done with
it. Users won't be able to modify application code or
alter the contents of documents if the owner has opted
to block such activities. Users will be prevented from
making copies of digital media if the owner so chooses.
And users might not be able to forward or print e-mail
or files without permission.
Gates became noticeably touchy when quizzed
by reporters on NGSCB's potential to be used as a personal
copyright cop.
"We're building a security system that people can
use or not use as they please," he said. "We
are not telling anyone what they have to do or not do
with their computers or with their content."
Some developers assumed, from Gates' comments, that NGSCB
would be a user-enabled option. But currently there doesn't
appear to be any way to disable NGSCB, as it will be built
into both a computer's hardware and its operating system.
It's also possible that its protections would not work
correctly or would prevent content from being viewed on
non-NGSCB systems.
Microsoft hasn't made it clear whether NGSCB will work
on a computer that does not contain the hardware part
of the NGSCB equation the Security Support Component chip,
being built by Intel, which handles many of the encryption
processes. Intel has not finished work on the chip set.
NGSCB ready computers probably will be released sometime
in mid 2004. Longhorn will be released sometime in 2005,
according to Microsoft.
Microsoft's
Windows Longhorn Alpha Leaks to the Web
Longhorn Alpha Leaks -
Microsoft's Windows Longhorn Alpha Leaks to the Web: 12/03/02
- Microsoft's next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn,
made its way onto Internet sites (available on mIRC) in
early November. Microsoft Windows XP experienced a similar
leak during the alpha stages.
The news of a leaked Microsoft's Longhorn build pop-up
sometime last month when screen shots posted to Windows
hack sites purported to showcase pictures of the next-generation
operating system. The leak provides a small glimpse into
Microsoft's future plans.
Some of the rumored changes are, the sidebar can be enabled
via Taskbar settings and uses XML to display customizable
tiles such as a clock, virtual desktop manager and Internet
search.
Microsoft has replaced the standard Display Properties
dialog with an incomplete XML-based configuration panel.
The rumored release date for Microsoft Longhorn is late
2004 to early 2005 but, has not yet been set by Microsoft.
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LongHorn
screenshot leaked to the web: Yes someone has
leaked a LongHorn screenshot build 3683 to the web for
you all to see. Is it real ? I think so but it could be
a hoax.
Windows LongHorn Summary New Features
Announced: New hot patching technology, hot swapping
technology, new 3D graphics architecture, and new storage
system.
This is a new desktop OS, planned for release
in 2003 or 2004.
New File System
In addition to security enhancements, Windows "Longhorn"
will also include a SQL Server file system. This new file
system, which Microsoft has been wanting to implement
in Windows for over a decade, will allow users to more
efficiently locate and work with information regardless
of format or location.
The User Interface
Windows "Longhorn" will include an improved
interface which will extend on the task-based design first
introduced in Windows XP. The start menu in Windows "Longhorn"
will most likely become a task pane which will occupy
the right or left side portion of the screen.
The user interface in "Longhorn" will also
make full use of 3D rendering technology, which will deliver
a much better visual appearance of Windows.
While not much more is known about "Longhorn"
at this time, here are some other new features slated
for the release:
DVD Burning Building on the CD burning capabilities
in Windows XP, "Longhorn" will allows users
to burn DVDs as well. Microsoft plans on supporting the
DVD+RW format.
Windows Movie Maker 2 Windows Movie Maker will be rebuilt
in "Longhorn" and include a variety of new features.
This new version of Windows Movie Maker will be based
upon Microsoft Producer, a PowerPoint 2002 add-on.
Improved Windows Powered Smart Display Support Windows
Longhorn will improve upon the Windows Powered Smart Display
technology introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 1. Specifically,
Windows "Longhorn" will allow for two people
to be logged on to the same system, one using the primary
display and the other with a smart display. Improvements
in speed can also be expected.
